


STOMP Out Loud

by LiviaWavern14



Category: STOMP Out Loud, VIXX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dance, Broomsticks, Ensemble Cast, Hakyeon is still cleaning up after them, Han Sanghyuk scares his hyung, I Tried, Jaehwan is still committed to making everyone laugh, Lee Hongbin is So Done, Non-Standard Onomatopoeia, Taekwoon is quiet on stage, Un-named Characters - Freeform, Wonshik's a little clumsy, but not in a witchy way, music terminology, percussion, waaat?, wait
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-13 20:12:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14119908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LiviaWavern14/pseuds/LiviaWavern14
Summary: Performances are not always about the singing, or even the instruments.Sometimes, the instruments are everyday things.Sometimes, you make music from a broomstick.





	STOMP Out Loud

**Author's Note:**

> If you have never seen the film "STOMP Out Loud" it's amazing and is based on the STOMP performance groups all over the United States, but focuses on one group and its production of music. Really fantastic as someone who loves music and the way people can make music by the world around them. 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzbBKusq0iE&t=627s
> 
> This is the full movie, but the scene I heavily pulled from begins at 5:43. If you just want to listen while reading it, the timings aren't quite right, but it's still a way to appreciate things if you don't recognize technicalities in music. 
> 
> That and some of the actions in the scene are hard to communicate through writing. I really tried lol

 

* * *

 

A man walks out onto the stage, plain navy tank-top revealing a lean physique, loose khaki pants covering up to the toes of black leather shoes. He is whistling a cheery tune, punctuated by soft thumps of the end of the broom in his hand hitting the ground. Eyes trailing on the floor he halts his whistling (lips still pursed), body stilled.

 

He bends over comically, trying to make a closer examination of the floor despite his brown hair falling ever so slightly in front of his eyes. A smattering of giggles erupts from the younger audience members.

 

Without looking up, or kneeling on the ground more practically, the man scratches at something on the floor the audience cannot see and begins to mutter gibberish under his breath. Standing quickly and broom still in hand, the man pantomimes a conversation, as if between himself and the person who promised to fix or clean the blemish on the floor. The gestures, visual cues and absurd vocalizations get even the more “dignified” audience members to join in the laughter.

 

Suddenly he hits the squared head of the broom on the ground, before shrugging and nonchalantly making two more ineffective sweeps. A scoffing “tch” is heard on the side of the stage, and another man with a broom walks out of the shadowed entrance.

 

The newcomer is wearing similar but different attire, loose t-shirt stretched across shoulders, and baggy pants nearly trailing over worn leather shoes. The second man is taller, with wide eyes, presently narrowed in challenge at the brown haired man. The brown haired man makes as if to sweep a pile of dust in the newcomer’s direction. A pitiful dust puff is flung into the air, and both men stare at the poor attempt with offense.

 

Wide-Eyes smacks his broomhead down in a graceful arc from where it rested on his shoulder, and Brown-Hair makes two sweeps before they both pause.

 

Brown-Hair mimes the wiping of a window, complete with squeaking “Eiihc euuhc eiihc euuhc” to the audience’s laughter. Wide-Eyes rolls his eyes and begins to sweep again. Brown-Hair huffs, and goes to the other side of the space, a small child still audibly giggling.

 

“Uwuh” a deep voice lets out from the side of the stage, climbing the stairs with his hands in his loose jean pockets and broom angled under a tattooed arm. He garners a melodic “Hyuh” and “Ihya” from each man respectively, before taking his own section of the stage to sweep. Deep-Voice begins a slow, but regular pattern, **smack** , sweep, _sweep, sweep_ , **smack** , sweep, _sweep, sweep_.

 

The motions of sweeping cause all three men to be bent over at a slight angle, but knees remain loose, and feet do not stay static on the floor. Each man adopts four beat measures, a combination of smooth brush strokes and connecting a hit with the edge of the broom to the ground. Each is slightly different, forming the percussive syncopation and near harmony of sound.

 

Another man joins in from an entryway, black A-line shirt creasing with each scratching sweep, and he releases a high and lightly pitched, “Huwa” as he joins the group. Each member responds to Light-Voice and keeps the pattern, _sweeper,_ “Uwuh” **smack,** sweeper _sweeper_ , “Wua”, “Hyah,” sweeper _sweeper_.

 

By now the pattering sounds are more diverse with the addition of Light-Voice, smack **smack** , sweeper _sweeper_ , smack **smack** , sweeper _sweeper_. Sweep **s** **mack,** swip _s_ _eh_ _weeper_ , sweep **smack** swip _sehweeper_.

 

The melody changes again as a bleached grey-haired man brings his broom onto the stage. Call and response, the group greets the shortest man, who begins to weave in and out between the other sweepers. Each takes this as a cue to truly move around the stage, almost appearing to be without pattern, but none making any impact on the others’ dance. Grey-Hair seems the most at ease, twirling through the other four men as if he always knew exactly where they were, grey sweatpants flowing like water.

 

Another man almost swaggers through the door with the broom placed horizontally to rest across his shoulders. Both ends of the broom get caught in the entryway, and the group halts the pattern at the same moment as the audience laughs. A pause and each brings their hands atop a broom to laugh themselves silly at their coworker’s display. Another beat of rest and they pick up the song simultaneously once more. Smacksmack, sweeper _sweeper_ sweeper, smacksmack, sweeper _sweeper_ sweeper.

 

Tallest by far - and youngest in appearance - he recovers from his stumble and greets the group with embarrassment to an offset chorus- response. Young-Man has entered the melody in time for the pattern to be well-layered. Syncopated hits overlaying each other,the constant undercurrent of sweeping, and the occasional emphasized bang to make the four beat measures more established.

 

By now each man has taken a part of the measure to hit the ground, to the point where the audience would be unable to hear the seams where the melody is stitched together.

 

They pause ( _in_ )

Breathe (out)

 

 **Smack** smack, sweeper _sweeper_ _sweeper_ , smack **smack,** sweeper sweeper _sweeper,_ while the audience cheers and claps for the synchronicity and the group begins to spin and move with greater abandon.

 

Tempo constant, the performers make their way to the back of the stage, lining up like pure coincidence and begin march-sweeping forward in tandem. In time, they bang their brooms to the floor to form an echoing unison, pulling back a step here, two steps there and returning to the more complex rhythm. They break off lines to form an undulating semi-circle, never losing their evolving pattern, **smack smack** , sweeper sweeper, **smack smack,** sweeper sweeper, **smack** sweep **smack** sweep, **smack smack** , and then part at the point closest to the audience like a blossom’s petals.

 

Once more in a row and giving their brooms gentle twirls with quiet swishes, Grey-Hair, Young-Man, and Light-Voice come forward from their alternating positions between the remaining three. The front trio push imaginary dust together towards the edge of the stage.

 

All six suddenly stop the pattern to bounce and spin clockwise, coming to face the back of the stage. A short new pattern appears, a measure and two beats of percussion ( **smack** er, smack smack, **smack** er) followed by the spin ( _sweep_ ), **smack** er, smack smack, **smack** er, _sweep_ , **smack** er, smack smack, **smack** er, _sweep_. Their brooms, having trailed bristles on the floor, seem like orbiting comets with each rotation 180°.

 

Cutting time ( **smack** er, _sweep_ , **smack** er, _sweep_ , **smack** er, _sweep_ ), the six have spun in perfect unison on each rotation. Only to break apart again and trail their brooms across the stage.

 

They beat down together and their rhythm gentles, just long enough for them to recreate their line-formation and crescendo to an echoing boom as they slam their brooms down.

 

A rest as the audience claps. No longer waiting, they pick up their complex dance off the floor and into the air. Bringing the staves in contact over the heads of their immediate neighbor or further besides, patterns blend together the sweeps of the floor and the solid hits of their wooden broom handles. Click clack, clack **clack** , click. Each time there could be a meeting of head and hard knock, but the performers have practiced their percussive dance to great effect.

 

Quickly disassembling the formation, the individuals traverse the floor and rhythmically knock their broom handles against their nearest partner. Click clack, **clack** clack, click clack, clack, they continue to layer the pattern and spread the rhythmic line between all six. They repeat the movements around the stage, click clack, clack click, click **clack**. The men suddenly send their implements to each other across the stage, some brooms launched into the air, while others are impossibly remaining upright as handles slide into waiting hands.

 

The audience shouts and cheers again, younger and older voices mingling with collective awe and respect at the impressive display. Brooms return to sweeping the floor with the constant pattern, smacksmack, sweeper sweeper sweeper, smacksmack, sweeper sweeper sweeper.

 

Four of the members continue to create the background percussion while Grey-Hair and Deep-Voice stride forward, still sweeping a pattern, but looking to face-off. Their dance has caused their shirts to cling and peel away at each movement, and as Grey-Hair begins to spin, his damp hair twirls out like a fan. His percussion is softer, but his body moving with abandon. A choreographed chaos.

 

Deep-Voice steps forward, and taps each edge of the broom head to make a quick vibration, much like the “so-so” gesture of a hand. He then lifts and brings down the broom again, **bang** sweep **bang** , _sehweeper._

 

Each takes turns picking up their chance at a solo, testing the strength and durability of their respective tools. They are given a chance to add a something new and different to the fore of the musical pattern.

 

The two eventually back down, moving slowly backward and returning to the collective supporting role (smack **smack** , sweeper _sweeper_ , smack **smack** , sweeper _sweeper_ ), Young-Man and Wide-Eyes taking their own opportunity to step forward and be in the center.

 

Beginning much like their fellow members, Young-Man then adds the rapid stomping of feet to the mix of sounds, his white and black sneakers sounding as powerful as the solid constructions in their hands. Wide-Eyes picks up the pattern, leather shoes scuffed from the high impacts, dudul **da** dudul **da**. Duduldu duduldu duduldu **da**.

 

The two go back and forth, bringing their brooms down with power, before spinning in their places to form a closed circle with their moving members. All lifting their brooms into the air, smallest corners of the squared head ready to hit the floor. In rapid succession, they drop the broom head to the beat ( **thunk thunk** thunk thunk thunk **thunk** ) and sweep out. They slow down and quiet the pattern.

 

Light-Voice retrieved a second broomstick while the audience clapped for the cascading visual. Flipping both handles perpendicular to the floor and standing in the center of the circle, he begins a quick alternating pattern at the same time as he taps his heels onto the ground, **Du** duldudul **du** duldudul. The other surrounding members are sweeping only, no smacking or clacks, just sweeper sweep _sweep_ swip _sehweeper_. The only percussion comes from the unbelievably quick taps of his feet ( **d** **u** duldudul **du** duldudul) and the brooms in hand. Deep-Voice and Young-Man, being closest to the audience, shift minutely, in time for Light-Voice to bring the two brooms solidly down with a resonant _**bang**_.

 

The audience cheers as the group stands slowly, sweeping continuing quietly ( _sweep_ sweep _sweep_ sweep), each member slowly tracing invisible patterns on the ground. Light-Voice and Wide-Eyes leave first inanti-climactic silence, leaving the others to maneuver around each other to alternate exits. Every remaining dancer is moving as delicately as insects seeking a flower, one-by-one preparing to sweep out the door.

 

Deep-Voice pretends to play hockey and nearly bowls over Young-Man; who raises his head, and lifts his hand. Five fingers, four fingers, Deep-Voice runs with punctuated laughter, as Young-Man abandons the countdown and broomstick alike in pursuit. Grey-Hair stops sweeping and sighs audibly as they go off the stage with echoing guffaws from the prey (and open amusement from the audience). Leaning down to pick up the orphaned brooms and a pail on the stage, he walks gracefully out the nearest door, until only Brown-Hair remains.

 

His sweeping stops. In the silence, Brown-Hair stretches his body forward so he can quickly see into one doorway, then leans back to peer through the other. Presumably seeing no one, he races to his position at the start and bends comically at the spot as before. Throwing himself upright and loudly smacking his palm to his forehand (causing more happy laughter from the audience), he sets the broom down with abandon and kneels on the floor to scratch at the spot (titters and giggles enduring).

 

Goal evidently achieved, he finally gets up, broom in hand and nodding in satisfaction. Placing the broom over both his shoulders, Brown-Hair walks backwards towards the entry, whistling in contentment. Only to be stopped by the ends of the broomstick getting caught in the doorway and causing him to let out a small _oof_. Smallest child to oldest adult entertained by the gag and unhappy pout, Brown-Hair sighs and drags his broom off-stage, like a toddler being sent to bed and dragging their favorite blanket along.

 

His broom completely leaves the audience’s vision.

 

 

The cheers and whistles are raucous.

**Author's Note:**

> Soooooo?
> 
> Lolol, I appreciated the chance to try and write something completely lacking in dialogue. Everything is about the actions people are taking, the dancing, and musicality of the percussion, and I don't have much experience with that style or genre of writing. 
> 
> I hope I did it justice, but again, creative writing n00b here. ;P


End file.
